MENLO TIMES

Arianespace , delivering the most suitable space transportation solution for every customer, led by David Cavaillolès and the team, has successfully launched  32 Amazon Leo satellites with Ariane 64 from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. The satellites were delivered to a low Earth orbit at an altitude of approximately 465 km. The mission lasted 1 hour and 54 minutes, from lift-off to separation of all the satellites. The mission, designated VA267 (LE-01 for Amazon Leo), i

Quantum Systems , transforming decision-making processes through aerial data intelligence, led by Florian Seibel, Sven Kruck, and Dave Sharpin, has announced  a new financing package supported by the European Investment Bank  (EIB) and leading European commercial banks, including Commerzbank , Deutsche Bank , and KfW . The financing will fund Quantum Systems’ investments in technology, manufacturing capacity, and organizational expansion, reinforcing its role in European secu

Axiom Space , building era-defining space infrastructure, led by Dr. Jonathan W. Cirtain and the team, has raised  $350-million in financing to advance its mission to deliver the successor to the International Space Station (ISS) and ready its next-generation spacesuits for the United States' return to the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years. Type One Ventures  and Qatar Investment Authority  (QIA) co-led the round, with participation from 1789 Capital , 4iG, LuminA

Spaceium , leading the way in developing the industry’s in-orbit refueling stations, led by Ashi Dissanayake and Reza Fetanat, has built and flown the most precise robotic actuator ever tested in orbit, over 70x more accurate than the robotic arms currently operating in space. On SpaceX’s Transporter-15 mission, Spaceium’s refueling actuator achieved a verified 0.003° rotation accuracy in orbit, equating to less than a millimeter of movement at a robotic arm’s tip. It marks t

Blue Water Autonomy , building autonomous ships for the open ocean, led by Rylan Hamilton, Scott N. Miller, and Austin Gray, has announced  details of its first vessel, the Liberty Class. Liberty is a 190-foot steel autonomous ship with a range of over 10,000 nautical miles and over 150 metric tons of payload capacity. The autonomous surface vessel was designed in partnership with Damen, with construction set to begin at Conrad Shipyard in March 2026. The first vessel is sche

Inertia , the commercial fusion energy company, led by Jeff Lawson, Annie Kritcher, and Mike Dunne, has raised  $450 million in investment to bring limitless clean energy to the world. The Series A round was led by Bessemer Venture Partners , with participation from additional firms including GV  (Google Ventures), Modern Capital , Threshold Ventures , and more. Founded in 2024, Inertia is developing a fusion pilot plant using physics proven at LLNL’s National Ignition Facili

Stoke Space , developing seamless mobility to, through, and from space, led by Tom Feldman and Andy Lapsa, has announced an extension of its previous Series D financing, bringing the total amount raised  in the round to $860 million. The round was initially announced in October 2025 at $510 million. That funding focused on completing activation of Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., and expanding production capacity for the Nova launch vehicle.  Sto

Nu Quantum , building the Entanglement Fabric to unlock commercial quantum computing scale-out, led by Dr. Carmen Palacios-Berraquero and the team, announced  the opening of a new trapped-ion networking laboratory in Cambridge, UK. Based close to its existing R&D headquarters, this state-of-the-art facility will double the company’s research infrastructure to accelerate progress towards distributed quantum computing. Nu Quantum enables quantum computing at scale by linking in

Ouster , an automation company moving the world forward safely and efficiently, led by Angus Pacala, has announced  that on February 4, 2026, it closed the acquisition of StereoLabs SAS  (“StereoLabs”), a pioneer in AI vision and perception solutions, led by Cecile Schmollgruber, Olivier Braun, and Edwin Azzam. With this acquisition, Ouster now provides a unified sensing and perception platform for Physical AI, integrating high-performance digital lidar, cameras, AI compute,

Uplift360 , a cleantech company developing chemical-based technologies to recycle and reuse advanced materials, led by Sam Staincliffe, Jamie Meighan, and others, has announced  the successful close of its €7.4M seed funding round led by Extantia , with significant contributions from the NATO Innovation Fund (NIF) , Promus Ventures , and Fund F . Advanced materials such as carbon fibre and aramids are essential to defence, aerospace, and manufacturing, but face supply-chain c

Chiral , building next-generation chips with nanomaterials, led by Seoho Jung, Natanael Lanz, André Butzerin, and others, has raised  a $12 million seed financing round led by  Crane Venture Partners , with participation from  Quantonation ,  HCVC , and  Founderful , as well as public funding from  Innosuisse. The funding supports Chiral’s mission to enable wafer-scale manufacturing of post-silicon computing chips built on nanomaterials, advancing the next generation of proce

Morpheus Space , a leading innovator and manufacturer of advanced electric propulsion systems for in-space mobility, led by Kevin Lausten, Daniel Bock, Gabrielle Diemand, and others, announced  a new strategic investment by Alpine Space Ventures  and the European Investment Fund , with continued support from Lavrock Ventures , Morpheus Ventures , Pallas Ventures , Vsquared Ventures , as well as other new and existing investors. Morpheus Space will use the funding to expand ma

Voyager Technologies , an innovative national security and space solutions company committed to advancing and delivering transformative, mission-critical solutions, led by Dylan Taylor and others, and Max Space , envisioning a future where space is not just a frontier but a thriving base for humanity, led by Saleem Miyan, and others, have announced  a strategic partnership to advance expandable space exploration technology, serving as the cornerstone of future lunar and deep-

Lunar Energy , the leader in integrated home battery systems and Virtual Power Plant software, led by Kunal Girotra, and others, announced it raised $102 million in an oversubscribed Series D round led by B Capital  and Prelude Ventures . This round follows a previously unannounced Series C financing of $130 million led by Activate Capital . These commitments will accelerate Lunar’s mission of powering every home with clean, reliable, and affordable energy with its suite of h

Pacific Fusion , powering a prosperous planet, led by Keith LeChien , and others, has achieved  a major breakthrough in fusion energy research by showing how to achieve pulser-driven inertial confinement fusion (ICF) with a radically simpler design, removing a significant roadblock to practical fusion power at scale. Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) uses laser or electric pulses to implode small fuel targets, releasing massive energy, first achieving controlled ignition at t

Avalanche Energy , a Seattle-based start-up developing enormously energy-dense compact fusion machines for clean power generation, led by Robin Langtry, Brian Riordan, Kate Kelly, Michael Prato, and others, has announced  $29 million in new funding led by RA Capital Management . New investors include 8090 Industries , Overlay Capital , and others, with full participation from existing investors Congruent Ventures , Founders Fund , Lowercarbon Capital , and Toyota Ventures . T

Galadyne , a modern defense company redefining missile architecture with scalable liquid propulsion and full-stack integration, strengthening U.S. and allied defense by eliminating reliance on fragile energetic supply chains, led by Chandler Luzsicza, has raised  a $4.8 million pre-seed round from Andreessen Horowitz  and Pax Ventures  to fund early development, testing, and prototype deliveries. For decades, missile systems have been technologically advanced but costly, slow

Skyryse , a leader in aviation automation and simplified flight controls, led by Mark Groden, Stephen Koo, Blake Bilstad, and others, announced  that it successfully raised over $300 million in a new Series C investment to drive continued growth and scaling, bringing its valuation to more than $1 billion. To date, Skyryse has raised more than $605M in equity capital. The company’s Series C was led by Autopilot Ventures  and returning investor Fidelity Management & Research Co

Nu Quantum , building the Entanglement Fabric to unlock commercial quantum computing scale-out, led by Dr. Carmen Palacios-Berraquero, Dr. Claire Le Gall, Ed Wood, Sam Funnell, Amii Shepperson, Danny Garden, and Jonathan Cumming, has announced  the opening of a Spanish subsidiary, which will be a leading center for quantum networking and photonic infrastructure for Distributed Quantum Computing. The Ministry for Digital Transformation and Public Administration, through the Sp

CesiumAstro , delivering the Future of Space Connectivity, led by Shey Sabripour , Chris "Trey" Pappas , James Carwell , and others, secured  $470 million in growth capital, cementing its position as a mission-critical provider of next-generation space and defense communications. The funding includes $270 million in equity, led by  Trousdale Ventures , with participation from  Woven Capital ,  Janus Henderson Investors ,  Airbus Ventures , the  Development Bank of Japan Inc.